Folding ironing-board.



' w. F. BLAKE.

FOLDING IRONING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-20,1914.

1,223,663., Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Mr mwms pzrsns co PNOm LATNOH WASHINGTUN. o c.

tlfd .t BTATEB WILLIAM F. BLAKE, F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNDR TO J. B. FOGLESONG, 0:5

BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

FOLDING IRONING-BGARD.

Application filed October 20, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YVILLIAWI F. BLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Ironing- Boards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ironing boards in which the standards may be easily and quickly folded; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a board with a permanent sad iron holder and that is easily and quickly operated; second, to provide a board that is rigid and cannot collapse when open; third, to provide a board that may be adjusted to two different heights; and fourth, to provide a means for locking the standards to the board when they are folded.

I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which I Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of the board with the standards folded; Fig. 2, a side view of the board when standing; Fig. 3, a detail view of the sleeper; Fig. 1, a detail view of the plunger; Fig. 5, a detail View of the cleat and spring-tensioned button; and Fig. 6, a detail view of the sad iron holder.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1, the numeral 1 designates the top of the ironing board, rounded at the heel and 1 cut narrower at the toe so that skirts and dresses may be easily ironed. 2 indicates the outside pair of standards pivoted to the hangers 3 by the rivets 4:. Near the toe of the board the standards 2 are joined by the rod 5 and when the board is in use the feet 6 rest on the floor. 7 indicates the inside pair of standards joined at their upper end by the rod 8 and at their lower end by rod 9 and when the board is open the feet 10 rest on the floor. Near the center of the standards is red 11 which passes through standards 7 and is permanently fastened to the standards 2, but the inside pair of standards 7 turn freely on rod 11.

12 designates the sleepers placed one on each side of the under side of the top 1 and just inside the standards 7 and extending under rod 8. 13 and 14 show the recesses two in each sleeper, out just large enough to receive the rod 8 when the standards are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24 1917.

Serial No. 867,560.

open. 15 is the plunger and 16 the knob to pull it up by. 17 is a yoke fastened near the inner end of the plunger and over it to hold the plunger to the top 1, and 18 a stop to prevent the plunger from being pulled too far toward the toe of the board. 19 shows the keeper fastened to the inner end of the plunger and with the lip 20 extending beyond the plunger. Under keeper 19 is the screw eye 21 to which one end of spring 22 is fastened, the spring is attached at its other end to the top 1 by screw eye 23, thus spring 22 always holds plunger 15 in position and keeper 19 over rod 8 when the standards are open.

Between the rods 5 and 8 is the cleat 24: with the lock 25 fastened to its center, lock 25 has the projection 26 extending over rod 8 and so holding the standards to the board when they are closed, but rod 8 moves freely from under projection 26 toward the center of the board when desired. On one side of rod 9 is the cleat 27 cut out at 28 to allow plunger 15 to pass under, thus with cleat 27 and yoke 17 the plunger 15 is held in perma nent contact and alinement with the top 1. Turn button 29 is fastened to cleat 27 by the screw 30, a spring 31 is slipped over this screw between the cleat 27 and the button 29 to keep it from working loose, when desired the button 29 is turned over rod 9 and thus holds the standards to the top 1.

32 is a circular sad iron holder attached to the board near its heel, it has a space between its base 33 and the top 1 which is filled with the asbestos sheet 34 thus preventing the wood from burning. The side wall 35 extends above the base 33 and thus keeps the sad iron from slipping off the holder, and as the holder is fastened to the top 1 by the screw 36, one is not bothered by sad irons or holder falling off the board. 37 is a screw eye to hang up the board when not in use.

In the practical operation of my ironing board, the board is lifted from its hook, carried to whatever place may be desired and placed on the floor on the toe of the board. It is held at the heel by the left hand, with the left thumb placed under knob 16, the

plunger 15 is pulled up and held, while with had ger 15 spring 22 will pull the plunger 15 and keeper'19 down until lip rests over rod 8 thus holding it in either of the recesses. Now the board is tipped forward until it rests on feet 6 and 10. The board can be carried around and cannot collapse or be shaken or jarred loose as the tension of spring 22 must be loosened before the stand ards can be closed. The board is very rigid as the rod 8 is kept from movement of any kind by the position of the sleepers 12 just inside the standards 7, by the walls of the recesses and by the keeper 19.

When ready to put the board away, take hold of the heel, tip board up and back with the left hand until it rests on the toe, then with the left hand pull plunger 15 up until rod 8 is released from keeper 19 and hold plunger up. Now with the right hand take hold of rod ,9 and draw feet 10 up to the heel, and as you do so, see that rod 8 takes its place under projection 26 on cleat 24. Let go of plunger 15 and turn button 29 over rod 9. The board may now be hung up and the standards cannotfall down unexpectedly as they are held by the lock and the button 29. It is not necessary to stoop while operating my ironing board and the fingers cannot be crushed by the standards falling down or the board collapsing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure .by Letters Patent is: y

1. In an. ironing board, the combination of a board with pivoted folding standards,

a rod connecting the legs of one of the standards, sleepers inside the standards and connected to the board each havingrecesses to engage the said rod, and a keeper between the sleepers provided with a lip to engage the said rod.

2. In an ironing board, the combination of a board with folding standards, provided with two sleepers each having recesses, and provided with a spring-controlled plungersupported for movement-in an endwise direction.

3. In an ironing board, the combination of a board with adjustable folding standards, having sleepers with recesses, and a spring-controlled plunger provided with a keeper at one end to engage the end rod of one pair of standards and hold it in any of said recesses and in close proximity to the top.

4. In an ironing board with folding standards, the combination of a spring-controlled plunger, supported for limited movement in an endwise direction, and with a keeper operating in connection with two sleepers, each having recesses, to lock the standards in any one of several positions when said standards are open, and to keep them from sidewise or downward movement.

WILLIAM F. BLAKE.

Witnesses:

N. E. RETALLICK, ARTHUR N. PETERS, G. S. VAN DUSEN.

Copies of this, patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Fatents, Washington, 3). C. 

